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By rdnewsNOW Staff

'BEYOND BARRIERS'

Child and Youth Advocate calls on government to improve services and supports for young people with disabilities

Jan 25, 2024 | 5:13 PM

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) has released Beyond Barriers: A Special Report on Young People with Disabilities in the Child Intervention and Youth Justice Systems.

Through this report, officials say the Child and Youth Advocate is making eight new recommendations aimed at improving services and supports for this particularly vulnerable group.

Focused on the voices of young people, officials say the report calls on service providers to get to know each young person as an individual and meet their unique needs, provide help for families, and ensure transitional support as they move into adulthood.

“It is vital that young people with disabilities receive the services and supports they need, when they need them, so they can have the brightest possible futures,” said Terri Pelton, Child and Youth Advocate. “It is my hope that government ministries will implement our recommendations so we can make a positive change in these young lives.”

Through its advocacy and investigations work, officials say the OCYA has observed a significant number of children and youth with disabilities whose needs were not being met, which had a profound impact on their lives and outcomes in government systems. This prompted the OCYA to identify this as a systemic advocacy issue, ultimately resulting in the development of the special report.

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A copy of the special report can be found here: ocya.alberta.ca/adult/publications/ocya-reports/

Diana Batten, Alberta NDP Critic for Children’s Services, issued the following statement in response:

“The report issued by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate highlights yet another failure by Danielle Smith and the UCP.

“In 2021, the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services developed a report which identified the same themes we’re seeing in the Beyond Barriers report. We are still waiting on a plan that addresses these issues.

“The need to act is at an all time high. It is absolutely unacceptable for youth with disabilities to be living on the streets or being held in correctional facilities because there is nowhere for them to go.

“I hope to see the UCP government take these recommendations seriously and act on these critical issues.

“The recommendations in this report reinforce the need for a system that better accommodates tailored supports for individuals. People need to be met where they are, and unfortunately, our current system is failing to provide Albertans with disabilities access to the services they need.

“It is crucial for government ministries to meaningfully partner with external experts as well as folks with disabilities in order address the issues outlined in this report. Consulting is not enough. There needs to be partnership in implementation as well.

Marie Renaud, Alberta NDP MLA for St. Albert, added in part, “Yesterday (Wednesday), at the direction of the Government, the UCP committee members of the Standing Committee of Legislative Offices froze the upcoming operating budget of the Auditor General and reduced the funds available in the upcoming year for all other independent offices who hold the government to account.

“The Office of the Auditor General was frozen, despite identifying to the committee clear challenges in retaining and recruiting adequate and qualified staff to keep up with demand. The Office of the Ombudsman received 71 per cent less than what they requested. The Public Interest Commissioner received less than 56 per cent, the Office of the Ethics Commissioner received 74 per cent less, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner 61 per cent less than what they requested, and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate received less than 50 per cent in the midst another record year of death notifications.

“These offices provide critical services to Albertans. It is because of these independent offices that Albertans are afforded a degree of transparency. For example the OCYA conducts investigations of serious injuries and deaths of young people receiving designated services and provides legal representation to young people receiving services. The OAG regularly audits all public finances of the province, while undertaking special audits like: COVID-19-In Continuing Care Facilities or Liability Management of (non-oil sands) Oil and Gas Infrastructure.

“This lack of transparency on behalf of the UCP government should be very concerning to all Albertans.”

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